BLOOD, BUT NO GUTS

By Calvin Hill

What if FOX NEWS gave a debate, and no issues came?  After two hours of a dearth of answers to the questions, the major topic of conversation concerning “the debate” was the same topic of conversations before the debate – Donald Trump.

After a long round of responses from the candidates on the subject of illegal immigration, not one of the moderators bothered to ask Florida Senator Marco Rubio why he ditched his own bi-partisan supported immigration reform bill.  But they remembered to ask Trump about his past displeasurable statements about women.

For all of the GOP bluster over the last 6 years about Pres. Obama’s “terrible economy,” there were no impactful questions about how the candidates would grow the economy and create jobs.  The candidates were not asked about their tax policy, minimum wage, or what their plan was to close the gap in rising income inequality.  But moderator Chris Wallace was insistent on asking Donald Trump about what proof he had that the Mexican government was sending their criminal element to the United States.

When Ohio Governor John Kasich gave a well-reasoned, sensible and impassioned response as to why he agreed to the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, a law that Republicans still denounce and threaten to repeal, the moderators were loathe to challenge Wisconsin Governor, Scott Walker, and former Florida Governor, Jeb Bush, whose states did not accept the Obamacare expansion, as to why their states were right and Ohio was wrong.

Governor Walker and New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie, were never asked to defend the dismal economies in their states. And while temperament seemed to be the order of the evening for all queries Donald Trump, Governor Christie was never asked about his lack of judgment and leadership in the wake of the George Washington Bridge scandal wherein members of his staff and Port Authority appointments face criminal liabilities.  Unfortunately, the FOX NEWS moderators were content to allow a verbal confrontation between Governor Christie and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul over government surveillance in the age of terrorism wherein Sen. Paul’s supposed “gotcha” moment was to denigrate Christie for embracing Barack Obama in the aftermath of the natural disaster that was Superstorm Sandy.  That afforded a perfect opportunity for the moderators to segue into the topic of climate change.  But, alas, that too went unasked and uncovered even in the wake of President Obama’s recently announced new environmental standards.

The pious outrage from the candidates over Planned Parenthood served to obscure the recurring deaths of unarmed Americans at the hands of law enforcement, the continuing sad spectacle of mass murders, militarized police forces, and a raging gun culture both legal and illegal that even threatened the lives of federal agents at the hands of the Cliven Bundy Fan Club.

With all of the important issues that were ignored, glossed over and trivialized, the daily, post debate focus has been on Donald Trump’s absurdly ignorant comment concerning moderator Megyn Kelly’s blood flow.  This is certainly no way to run a newsworthy presidential campaign.  And should it continue as is, it will be the American people who will be bled dry.